Msgr. Moore to be honored with humanitarian award

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Msgr. Terence Moore

SALT LAKE CITY — A priest from Ireland who has spent forty years ministering in Utah will be among those recognized at the 2009 Catholic Community Services’ (CCS) Awards Dinner.

Msgr. Terence Moore, now pastor of St. John the Baptist Parish in Draper, was executive director for CCS from 1987 to 1993. Previous to that, he was refugee coordinator for the Utah Department of Social Services, and also served as the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City’s first refugee resettlement coordinator.

“Msgr. Moore also was instrumental in beginning our refugee resettlement program, and Catholic Community Services’ refugee resettlement program is now a nationally award-winning program, resettling over 600 refugees every year,” said Kathryn Brussard, CCS director of development and marketing.

Under Msgr. Moore, St. John the Baptist Parish has grown from less than 200 parish members to more than 2,000, Brussard said. “He’s very popular, and it’s not just because of his Irish brogue and the twinkle in his eye, and both of those are definitely present. It certainly adds to his charm, but those are superficial things because what he really brings is great heart, spirituality and true vision to every task he undertakes.”

Also honored at the dinner will be Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Wells Fargo, United Way of Northern Utah and the nine-member Bashire family.

The dinner not only honors local humanitarians but also is CCS’ primary fundraiser. “We rely on the funding from this dinner to keep our doors open. It’s as simple as that,” Brussard said.

In addition to working with refugees, CCS runs the Weigand Day center, St. Mary’s Home for Men, and a food bank, as well as offering households help through the Emergency Assistance Program, providing mortgage help and layettes for new mothers, among other programs. The organization’s administrative costs are 11 percent of its entire budget.

This year, CCS has seen an 87 percent increase in need for homeless prevention assistance and 43 percent increase in the number of families taking hot meals at St. Vincent de Paul. “We can’t even come close to meeting all the needs that are out there,” Brussard said.

Underwriters have covered the cost of the dinner, “so every dollar that comes in will go directly to help the people we serve,” Brussard said.

The CCS Awards Dinner will be Nov. 17 at the Little America Hotel, 500 S. Main St. in Salt Lake City. Social hour will start at 6 p.m. Dress is business attire. Tickets are $125/seat or $1,250 for a table of 10. For tickets, call Carrie Kresser, 801.428.1231 ckresser@ccsutah.org.